MD 3.4 GPA, 508 MCAT, Ivy Undergrad, NY, Asian

[161MD]

Applying ~

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[Doug Underhill]

I think you should take a gap year and keep improving your stats and clinical experiences. Right now, your numbers are a little bit low for MD. 3.5 from an Ivy looks great, but 3.4 is somewhat less desirable. When you combine that with a MCAT that's below the median for MD matriculants, the overall picture is not a great recipe for a MD acceptance.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Your MCAT and GPA are both below average(the GPA hovering below the 10th percentile at many schools). At least one of them needs to go up to give yourself more than what historical norms would project to be about a 30% acceptance rate which the % of people with 3.4/30's accepted to MD programs in the past.

 

[161MD]

Thanks for your guys' responses!

Yes, very much aware of my stats - therefore why I wrote I'm retaking the MCAT and I am taking a gap year.

I was looking for more specific advice as per my school list, thank you.

 

[GrapesofRath]

There's no real point making a school list until you actually make the improvement on your stats that you want to.

For any school list invest in MSAR. Pay attention to 10th percentile GPAs and schools that take at least 30% OOS and who's mission you fit(ie not HBMCs). I would start with all the SUNYs and Hofstra(note these 5 schools all have 33+ median MCATs), Albany and NYMC.

 

[CaffeineJunkie]

.

 

[LuluLovesMe]

cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAScGPA:
3.4, sGPA: 3.37, bio; SENIOR TAKING ONE GAP YEAR
MCAT score(s) and breakdown
Total: 508, 128, 128, 126, 126; Retaking!
State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
NY, US Citizen
Ethnicity and/or race
East Asian
Undergraduate institution or category
Mid-Ivy (aka not HYP )
Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
~100hours
Research experience and productivity
Significant research, doing thesis, completely independent project, >400hours
Shadowing experience and specialties represented
~100hours, anesthesiology, ophthalmology, endocrinology
Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
TA for class, taking a gap year (doing clinical research and volunteering), various clubs on campus

Schools:
What are my chances at getting into ANY MD school?
I had a strong upward trend (3.8 GPA my past few semesters)

For example, my current school list is something like:
NYMC, Georgetown, Albany, Hofstra, SUNY DS/US, Commonwealth...
(Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated)

Being Asian + Having a low GPA, I'd have to recommend you apply very selectively to MD and DO and you'll get in somewhere if you improve that MCAT.

If you must have the MD, then still apply selectively to lower tier MD schools, but be prepared to do an SMP immediately after if that doesn't work out. With a 3.4 I still wouldn't recommend an SMP without first trying an app cycle since it is such a drastic and risky course of action.

You do need the MCAT up to a 514 minimum though to be competitive with a lower GPA.

 

[Goro]

You're fine for ANY DO school!

cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAScGPA:
3.4, sGPA: 3.37, bio; SENIOR TAKING ONE GAP YEAR
MCAT score(s) and breakdown
Total: 508, 128, 128, 126, 126; Retaking!
State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
NY, US Citizen
Ethnicity and/or race
East Asian
Undergraduate institution or category
Mid-Ivy (aka not HYP )
Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
~100hours
Research experience and productivity
Significant research, doing thesis, completely independent project, >400hours
Shadowing experience and specialties represented
~100hours, anesthesiology, ophthalmology, endocrinology
Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
TA for class, taking a gap year (doing clinical research and volunteering), various clubs on campus

Schools:
What are my chances at getting into ANY MD school?
I had a strong upward trend (3.8 GPA my past few semesters)

For example, my current school list is something like:
NYMC, Georgetown, Albany, Hofstra, SUNY DS/US, Commonwealth...
(Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated)

 

[piii]

Aim for DO unless you can get the MCAT and GPA up (post bac)

 

[161MD]

Finally got back my MCAT score and scored in the 95%!! Any suggestions for schools?

 

[gyngyn]

Finally got back my MCAT score and scored in the 95%!! Any suggestions for schools?

Bring us your list and we'll be happy to help.
Using the MSAR, target schools where the median MCAT is about 32 and where they matriculate at least 25% OOS.

 

[161MD]

@gyngyn

Ah! Sorry about that, forgot to put up what I have for now, was too excited haha!

Put up a preliminary list, are there any big ones I've overlooked?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Remove UConn and Brown unless you're a Brown undergrad.

Add Rochester, USC-Keck, possibly Vermont,

 

[161MD]

@WedgeDawg

Thank you!
USC-Keck has rather high medians, is that really okay? Of course, I'd love to apply to a CA school, but most of them looked out of my reach when I scanned through.

 

[WedgeDawg]

@WedgeDawg

Thank you!
USC-Keck has rather high medians, is that really okay? Of course, I'd love to apply to a CA school, but most of them looked out of my reach when I scanned through.

Keck is the only one that should be on your radar. They like Ivy Leaguers, are generally forgiving of lower GPAs as long as your MCAT is up to par (yours is within range). It'll be a reach, but a realistic one.

 

[161MD]

@WedgeDawg

Thank you so much! Definitely putting it on my list then

 

[161MD]

After going through my list and realizing I only have 17, I think I need to add more given my lower stats. However, I'm hesitant to really add schools such as Tulane or Drexel since they're so low-yield or in a place where I would not want to move to.

POSSIBLE ADDITIONS???:
Emory?
Wake Forest?
Case Western?

High reaches:
NYU
Weill
Sinai

I'm sure the last three are unlikely, but if they're a 100% complete no-go for my stats, someone please let me know I'll save the money and buy my parents dinner or something.

Otherwise, I'm just scared that 17 schools is not nearly enough

 

[GrapesofRath]

After going through my list and realizing I only have 17, I think I need to add more given my lower stats. However, I'm hesitant to really add schools such as Tulane or Drexel since they're so low-yield or in a place where I would not want to move to.

Id remove Sinai Cornell and NYU(stats)
Keck is going to be rather low yield with this app at 3.45/512. Emory is in a relatively similar category.
Dartmouth is a small school that particularly amongst their lower stat matriculants, takes a number of non trad types. Probably not high yield either.
CWRU has a huge class with only 5k apps to boot but it's likely a bit of a long shot as well given what youve listed.

The rest of your list is by and large mostly fine. I see 8-10 schools right now you can go in saying you have a reasonable shot at getting a II. You can get that a little higher. Oakland, Western Michigan and Medical College of Wisconsin are a few examples of schools that could do that for you. Go through MSAR and youll find more. You are light though on the non clinical service and clinical experience which complicates things.

 

[161MD]

Thank you for the feedback!! I am planning on boosting those two hours in my gap year, but that likely won't make it onto my application. Hopefully I can get the chance to talk about them in the interview!